The Book of Na'Lon

or rather, Inane Ramblings of an Expatriot

Thanks to Polly, I now know that two people I've been woefully out of touch with are actually out there with their own ljs... As usual I am gonna keep the waffling in a cut...

This makes me feel very happy, and a lot less lonely in my currently not as nice as I'd like it to be life. If it weren't for pellegrina I think I'd have imploded long ago.

I miss all those wonderful get-togethers and pontifications we used to have, but somehow I am useless at staying in touch. I wonder why that is, given how much I like to here from people. But it was really nice to see them at the wedding, and I wish there'd been more time to catch up.

Anyway, while I am feeling guilty about things I am not getting done, I might as well grumble about the tidying business, too: I have been meaning to get some order into my stuff. I've always lived in a certain amount of creative chaos, but since I have got to where I am now, I don't know where anything is anymore. I've decided to try and do about half an hour of tidying and sorting every day, but so far nothing's happening. But this weekend, that will change: I have decided to tidy the corner by my bed, put some more things in it and then, well, we'll see... I have some job applications to write and get off.

Today was quite a good day in many ways: I handed in my assignment (which could have been better I guess...) and I went to an all day workshop for the PGC in teaching and learning in HE. We talked about a lot of things related to the changing playing field in HE and about the portfolio assignment we have to put together. It sounds quite daunting, what with the teaching load I have this semester. But I always love these days, especially if Azzurra is there. She used to be a broadcast journalist and is now a lecturer in media studies, and I quietly fancy her almost as much as Trinity from the Matrix. I'm not sure that I would describe her as being as beautiful as Trinity -- she is almost as tall as me and has short lightbrown hair, green eyes and this strong face and broad wrists... and her voice is beautiful. It's weird really, because I very rarely find myself fancying anybody... Appreciate aesthetically maybe, but fancy -- not often at all. (In case the Marquis is reading this: you are of course the exception, darling.)

At lunchtime something else nice happened. The second marker for the dreadful marking from before Christmas called me and suggested that I pass the students I'd failed, because to here mind they'd actually achieved quite a lot, given that they were not psychology student. I was quite happy to go with her suggestion, because the groups have both been working very hard and I didn't really want to fail the work. But given that I'd never marked non-psych students work before I was being to mean and am happy to change that. Now I actually don't dread getting their work back to them any more.

Anyway, enough waffle for one night, my back is still sore from assignment induced immobility...

We bikers know about leather

If you must go for elegance in black leather, you simply must get hold of the black-and-white seasons of The Avengers. I'd take Emma Peel over Trinity any day of the week. Her lines are better in every possible sense...(Don't watch the colour seasons unless you've a strong stomach: John Steed in a purple suit?)